Poland’s ruling party and the Roman Catholic Church put a Polish region at risk of losing 2.5 billion euros by enforcing its anti-LGBTI ‘declaration’.
The ruling nationalist-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party openly forced its delegates at a regional assembly in the southern Polish district of Małopolska, which covers the city of Krakow, to vote to uphold a 2019 statement that the region was an “LGBTI ideology-free zone.”
A Polish archbishop, Marek Jędraszewski, had also preached in two public sermons ahead of the vote for PiS delegates to line up.
The vote on Thursday (August 19) saw the declaration confirmed by 22 votes to 15, most of which came from the centre-right opposition Civic Platform party, which had called for the old declaration to be annulled.
The decision came despite the European Commission warning the regional authority in a letter in July that it risked losing 2.5 billion euros in EU funds over the period 2021-2027 if the text “discriminates” was maintained because it contravened EU values.
“What should we do? Choose pragmatism, realpolitik, as some say, or unambiguously defend our values, honor, true freedom?” Archbishop Jędraszewski said in a sermon Aug. 15.
Meanwhile, commenting on the result, PiS Education Minister Przemysław Czarnek congratulated local MPs.
“It shows that in Poland, in the beautiful and vast region of Małopolska, we strongly support the values, behind the family, behind the rules that are imperative for Poland, for Europe, to develop,” said Czarnek. .
The vote came after a four-hour debate in which Jan Duda, the father of Polish President and PiS loyalist Andrzej Duda, also came out in favor of the anti-LGBTI statement, which he called “Marseillaise ” of Poland, compared to the French National Anthem.
“Maybe the European Commission doesn’t understand what Christian values are,” Duda said.
“Desecration of the Holy Mass. Everyone saw it. Vandalism of blessed and holy statues…I don’t know who it was, but he entered the church with an axe,” the president said. from the PiS party of the Małopolska regional assembly, Witold Kozłowski. also said, referring to an incident in 2019 which he blamed on LGBTI “ideology”, but which, in reality, involved a drunk who had nothing to do with gay rights.
“Be careful what you say. Check your facts, because people are listening,” noted Daria Gosek-Popiołek, a local Civic Platform MP, during the debate.
“I wonder what the LGBTI representatives have done to you [PiS]since you want to exclude them, since you call them an ‘ideology’, even if they are only people?” said Marek Sowa of the Civic Platform.
“Once again, the hatred and anger of the PiS has proven to be more important than the well-being of [Polish] citizens, and they [ordinary people] will suffer the most from this decision,” added Robert Biedroń, an openly gay leftist Polish MEP, in response to Thursday’s events.
Not European?
Statements on “LGBTI ideology-free zones” have no legal value, but call for a ban on the promotion of homosexuality in public life, especially schools.
They have been adopted by more than 100 local authorities, mainly in southwestern Poland, under the patronage of the PiS and have already led to symbolic cuts in EU funds in some cases.
Meanwhile, the Poland-EU dispute over the protection of LGBTI minorities is just one of many, which also cover women’s rights, freedom of the press, judicial independence, rule of law European Union and the xenophobic and eurosceptic rhetoric of the PiS.
“The Małopolska region expresses strong opposition to emerging public activities aimed at promoting the ideology of LGBTI movements, whose goals violate fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by acts of international law, call into question the values protected by the Polish constitution and interfere with the social order,” reads the 2019 statement of the Małopolska assembly.
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